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"Millie danced to jazz in her Italian neighborhood. Pedro danced to Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood. It was the 1940s in New York City, and they were forbidden to dance together . . . until first a band and then a ballroom broke the rules. Machito and His Afro-Cubans hit the scene with a brand-new sound, blending jazz trumpets and saxophones with Latin maracas and congas creating Latin jazz, music for the head, the heart, and the hips. Then the Palladium Ballroom issued a bold challenge to segregation and threw open its doors to all"--
Riassunto
New York City’s desegregated Palladium Ballroom springs to life with a diverse 1940s cast in this jazzy picture-book tribute to the history of mambo and Latin jazz.
Era la década de 1940 en la segregada cuidad de Nueva York. Ya sea que bailaras al sonido de las trompetas y los saxofones en un salón en el barrio italiano o en la calle al son de maracas y congas en el barrio puertorriqueño, generalmente bailabas en el lugar donde vivías y con gente de tu mismo origen. Pero antes de que terminara la década, una nueva sala de baile — el Palladium – acogió a personas de todos los vecindarios. Cuando Millie Donay y Pedro Aguilar se encontraron en la pista de baile del Palladium, brotaron chispas y se derribaron barreras.
Dean Robbins cuenta cómo el Palladium, un excitante nuevo sonido llamado jazz latino y un baile pegajoso de Cuba llamado mambo, impulsaron el inicio del movimiento de los derechos civiles. Y Eric Velasquez retrata los bailarines de todos los lugares de la ciudad, emparejados, moviéndose hacia delante y hacia atrás, de un lado a otro, dando vueltas y balanceándose al son del jazz latino de Machito y sus Afrocubanos.
Millie danced to jazz in her Italian neighborhood. Pedro danced to Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood. It was the 1940s in New York City, and they were forbidden to dance together . . . until first a band and then a ballroom broke the rules. Machito and His Afro-Cubans hit the scene with a brand-new sound, blending jazz trumpets and saxophones with Latin maracas and congas creating Latin jazz, music for the head, the heart, and the hips. Then the Palladium Ballroom issued a bold challenge to segregation and threw open its doors to all. Illustrated with verve and told through real-life characters who feature in an afterword, ¡Mambo mucho mambo! portrays the power of music and dance to transcend racial, religious, and ethnic boundaries.
Testo aggiuntivo
The Spanish text is both conversational and informative, liberally using such words as "giraban," "vibraban," and "meneaba," which will allow readers to feel the electricity of this music and dance move as they read. Realistic illustrations with historical details bring to life the many moves and twirls dance couples enjoyed in close-up views. Additional back matter rounds out this eye-catching account of the cultural impact of Latin jazz and mambo.
—Booklist (starred review)
